Automatic furnace-damper controller



E. I. HENRY.

AUTOMATIC FURNACE DAMPER CONTROLLER APPLICATION FILED APR. 21, 1919.

Patented NOV. 1, 1921,

- 22 2; E g; 20 V 29 .11 g? I 47 2a 3 FATE 'ERNEST'J. HENRY, or onnaa RAPIDS, IOW.A'.

AUTOMAT C FURNACE-DAMPER CONTROLLER.

Application, filed April 21,

To aZZ'wivom it may concern: Be it known that I, ERNEST J. HENRY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cedar Rapids, in the county of Linn and State-of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Furnace-Damper Controllers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of'the invention, such aswill'enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same This invention relates to the regulation of the action of furnaces,'the object of the invention being to provide means whereby the active draft of the furnace maybe auto matically started at a predetermined time, after having been'checked', as for keeping a low fire over night. The invention'involves also -means' for automatically checkingthe draft again, should the restored draft result in excessive heating of the furnace. -i

The nature of the inventionis fully disclosed in the description and claims follow ing, reference being had to the accompanyin%drawing, in whichr- I igure l'is a side elevation of apparatus embodying-my invention as appliedto a furnace, the positions of' parts indicating 'a low fire withdrafts checked. Fig. 2'is a side'elevation of the controlling mechanism, with one side of the inclosure removed, and certain parts injsection. Fig. 3 isa plan View ofthe same,with the position of the clock reversed. I Q v In the drawing, the numeral 1 denotes 'a furnace,'having afire "door 2 with arl'ifting check-damper 3, and an ash-door 4: with its lifting draft-damper 5. Fromth'e furnace extendsa smoke-pipe 6, provided with a checkdamper ?v These may all beof the -usual construction, and need no description. The lin8 indicates thejbottom edge 'of a floorjoist, to one or more'of which maybe at. tached a series of. pulleys for various chains, as will appear in the description following. Connecting with thedraft damper 5 is a chain 9 running directlylto the room above, for .convenience in regulating the furnace from upstairs A second chain 10,"in.'c on nection with pulleys 11 and 12, connects with the check-damper 7. These are also. of" familiar construction and operation. As shown in Fig.1 these chains may have'been Specification of Letters Patent.

I M T Patented Nov. 1. 1921. 1919. Seria 1 1 \1'o. 291, 495. Y adjusted the'r'oom above the furnace, and are in posltion to'retard the furnace draft, and induce low combustion, as commonly desired for night service. The effect of this 7 is to so reduce the temperature in the hou as to make -it uncomfortable to rise and dress" in, unless the normal draft of the furnace has been previously restored. Means. for

accomplishing this object automatically, 7

and while the householder may be. asleep, Wlll now be described.

Beferr1ng'now more particularly to Figs. 2 and 3, the numeral 13 denotes a stand havngopposing vertical walls'l l. In or closely ad acent to openings in these walls is set an 'alarm clock '15 having a T-headed vibrator 16. The clock is best held, in posit 'on by an encircling band 17 attached at oneend to the end of the stand, and at'the other end providedwith a'screw-threaded s tem' l8 passing through a' hole in the band,

and through the end of the stand, where it 1s secured by anut '19. The clock may thus be conveniently shifted from one side tothe other of the case, according to its location with respect to the furnace, or light, or otherwise, Pivoted in the case, at :20 is a trip-lever 2]., whose blade'22 is notched'at 23 and 24, "so as to engage the vibrator whichever side of the case the clock may be set. A cross-rod 25' serves as a stop for this lever when'tripped. (At the other end of'the stand is pivoted at 26 along lever 27,

whose inner end may overlap the short arm of the trip-lever, as shown. A weight 28 servesto depress the long lever when the other is tripped. This weight is preferably mounted to slide along the longer lever, and is fastened at any desired point by a thumbscrew 29.. The lever is also provided with a series of similarly mounted slide-hooks,

30,31 and 32, to engage various pull-chains. The hook30, on the inner side of the pivot, connects with a chain 33, which passes over pulleys 34 and'35, itsfree end having a hook. 36 to engage the damper-chain 9. When so connected, it will be evident that the release of the long lever will, by its tilt} ing action, pull the damper-chain, and' 'so open the ,damper. 5.. At the other side of the levers pivot a hook 31 connects by a chain 37 I with the check-damper chain 10', the action of this chain being of course contrary to that ofthe damper-chain. Provision is also made for similarly operating the fire-door check-damper, by means of a chain 38 running over pulleys 39 and 40,

and connecting with the hook 32. The depression of the long lever is regulated by' a rod 41 and a series of holes 42 in the stand,

"the drop of the lever varying the lift of the draft-damper, as will be evident. In the case of slow-burning fuel the connection with the fire-door check may be dispensed With, but it is useful when a free-burning fuel, such as soft coal, is employed.

vAssuming the alarm clock to be set, as

indicated, when the hour of 5 is reached, the

alarm vibrator will be. set inmotion. This instantly releases the trip-lever, which per- ,inits' the long lever to drop, and by preponderating Weight, lift the draft-damper and close the check dampers. This starts thefire into active combustion, and by the time the householder'is ready to rise and dress, the house is warm.

lt will sometimes happen that the action oflthe furnace will be too vigorous, and if not controlled, may overheat to a dangerous extent. T0v guard against this contingency provision is made forreversing the action of the lever and its connected chains. Near the outer end of the lever,.to the slide 43, is con} necteda hanger 44, carrying a weight 45 in excess by weight or leverage, of the inner 7 weight already described. This weight is normally suspended from some part of the furnace subject to overheating, preferably the smoke pipe, by a medium, which will be severed by such overheating. This in practice is simply a tow or cotton string 46. When so suspended the levers are free to act as though there were no outer weight at all. When, however, the apparatus shall have tripped, and the furnace has overheated the smoke-pipe, a burned'off string will allow the weight 45 to drop to-the position shown in Fig. 2, thus again closing the draft damper and checking. the fire.

. v In adjusting the apparatus for the night, the operator has only to wind the clock, a little winding ofthe alarm side being sulficient fortripping purposes, and hook the chain 33 to the damper-chain 9. lifts the inner end of the long lever, and

I rests it ontop of thetrip-lever, whose blade structed.

It will henoted the hanger for the He then outer weight is of such a length that the:

weight rests on the floor, when in depending position. To prevent excessive movement of the longlever, furthermore, a cross-rod 48 is placed above it, as shown.

' The top of the stand is leftopen for convenience in manipulating the long lever, but to protect the clock from dust a covering cloth 4:9 is attachedat one end, as shown in Fig; 2.

In the operation of the-furnace during the day the apparatus is left in its disengaged position, which allows the check-dampers to close. The draft-damper chain 33 is unhooked from the chain 9, thus permitting the latter tojbe manipulated from tip-stairs.

Havingthus described my" invention, I claim: 1. Furnace draft-controlling, apparatus, comprising a leverweighted at one-sideof itspivot, ac'hain on the weighted side; connecting with the draft-damper, a chainon the opposite side connectingwith the checkdamper, a trip-lever to support the weighted lever, an alarm-clock whose vibrator engages sa1d tr p-lever, apreponderating welght connectediwith sa1d weighted lever, andopposite said weight, andmeans breakable by the preponderating weight therefrom. H

excess heat of the furnace to-support said 2. In apparatus for automaticallyr'controlling the draft of a furnace, a weighted lever having a pulling connection von its weighted side with the draft-damper and "on the opposite side with thecheck-dampenja time-controlled connection therewith, a pre ponderating weight attached 'to the lever arm opposite the abovenamed weight,.and a support for the preponderating weight at tachable'to some part of the-furnace, and

breakable by itsexcess heat. I

3.;Apparatus for automatically starting the draft of furnaces,-and for-reversing its action when overheating, the same comprising atime-operated weighted-lever adapted to open the draft-damper and; close the check-damper at y a predetermined time, a

counter-weight ofgreater gravity connected withthe lever opposite the; forementioned' weight, and a burnable cord suspending said counterweight from the smoke-pipejof furnace.

4. In a vfurnace draft-controlling device,

a supporting stand,-a main operating lever j pivoted thereto,..a:weight attached-tonne arm of the-lever,a trip-lever havinga short arm to support the Weighted arm 'offthe main lever and aplural-notched longer arm to engage an alarm-clock vibrator, analarm- 1 clock, andl meansfo'r securing said clock at either 1 side Of the stand, and at, substantially equal distances from said plural-notched leverfif I f I in:

' 5. In furnace:draft-controlling apparatus,

a s mm n a a wil ere-re re 21m? 1 pivoted thereto, having a draft-controlling either side when moved to engaging posi- Weight on one of its arms, and a time-com tion. 10 trolled trip-lever to support the Weighted In testimony whereof I aflix my signature end of the main lever, the engaging ends of in presence of two Witnesses.

the levers being edged on their opposite, ERNEST J. HENRY. non-supporting sides, and the main lever Witnesses having alimited sidewise movement Where- F. W. ARMSTRONG,

by the levers may easily pass each other at J. M. ST. JOHN. 

